MCU In Order How To Watch The Marvel Movie Timeline

MCU In Order – How To Watch The Marvel Movie Timeline

Want to catch up before the next release, or just revisit the universe for a refresher? Here’s the order to watch the entire MCU timeline.



You Are Reading :MCU In Order How To Watch The Marvel Movie Timeline

MCU In Order How To Watch The Marvel Movie Timeline

The Marvel Cinematic Universe faltered briefly in 2020 and early 2021 as it dealt with the effects of the pandemic, but now it is back with full force and 2021 eventually brought a wealth of new movies and Disney+ TV shows. This means that there is a bunch of great content to see, however finding the right path for an MCU rewatch can be tricky. In the coming years, the MCU shows no signs of slowing down their release schedule, so now is the perfect time to refresh with an MCU rewatch or to delve into the whole MCU for the very first time. As the MCU Phase 4 evolves, it is referencing back to older movies more and more, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) reviving an antagonist for a cameo from one of the original MCU movies The Incredible Hulk (2008). Meanwhile, Hawkeye also refers back to the original Avengers and things get particularly complicated with Spider-Man: No Way Home.

As Avengers: Endgame concluded many of the major plotlines that were building throughout phases 1, 2, and 3, it might seem tempting to just start watching the MCU with the beginning of phase 4. However, the references to earlier parts of the canon go well beyond cameo roles like Abomination’s. Starting an MCU rewatch with Phase 4 will leave viewers completely in the dark to key points that have been central to every 2021 installment of the MCU from WandaVision to Hawkeye. Perhaps most notably, Black Widow mostly dealt with narrative points from phase 2 onwards and served as a flashback for the franchise as a whole, so to start with that movie that is completely out of the MCU’s chronological order would be a big mistake.

Two things complicate an MCU rewatch and one of them is only getting more complicated. That issue is knowing which movies and TV shows are part of the MCU canon. The Sony Spider-Man Villain Universe was originally an entirely separate entity; however, with progressing deals between Sony and Marvel and hints in the latest films and trailers, it looks like those two worlds might be fully colliding. Similarly, many Marvel TV shows were made before the Marvel Disney+ shows and it seemed like those had been decanonized, yet recent clues suggest that some elements might be being brought back. As it is still unclear what is happening with the previous Marvel shows and the Sony Spider-Man Villain Universe they are not included in this list for now. The other (and more easily solved) issue, is knowing how to view the MCU in order. While the release order might seem the obvious choice, the events and the release dates don’t always line up (just as with Star Wars), so here is the chronological order for an MCU rewatch, with an explanation below:

See also  This Genshin Impact x Persona 5 All Out Attack Crossover Is Incredible

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3



Phase 4

Some of the biggest breaks from the release order for an MCU rewatch come in the phase 1 section. Captain America: The First Avenger was the last movie released before The Avengers, but the majority of the film takes place in the 1940s and serves as a good setup for the rest of the universe. Captain Marvel was originally released late in phase 3, but takes place in the 1990s and does a lot to establish the character of Nick Fury in a way that informs the viewing of his Avengers Initiative. What If…? episode 3, “What If…The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?,” recently confirmed the much-debated chronological order for three of the phase 1 movies which all take place within the same week. Despite their release order, Iron Man 2 opens first, followed by Thor with Mjolnir’s appearance in New Mexico, and finally, The Incredible Hulk closes out Nick Fury’s busiest week to date.

See also  Pokemon Sword and Shield Trade Code to Get Ditto

Phase 2’s only change is to include the 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as it takes place only a few months after the original (an opportunity to include Baby Groot) and before the events of the other movies. Phase 3, on the other hand, is more complicated as Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp were both released at a point in the MCU timeline after their events had already taken place. Additionally, the phase 4 movie Black Widow takes place during the end of Captain American: Civil War, and aside from raising some possible continuity questions about later films makes the most sense to be viewed directly after it. The one exception is its post-credits scene, which is set around the same time as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The MCU Phase 4 TV shows make the most sense to be viewed in their release order. Both WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier take place in the direct aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. While Loki’s events begin in 2012 within the MCU timeline, its relationship to time quickly becomes a little strange, and the series, like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals, draws on the events of movies up to and including Avengers: Endgame and directly sets up several events that will only begin to matter within phase 4 and beyond. One of the few complexities to the Phase 4 MCU rewatch order comes with Spider-Man: No Way Home as it released during the run of Hawkeye. However, the release date for Spider-Man: No Way Home was pushed back from its originally planned date by the pandemic and there are clues in Hawkeye that make it clear that it is set after the feature film. This list primarily provides the chronological timeline for the MCU in order, which feels like the best method for a fully informed Marvel Cinematic Universe rewatch, but watching in release order will reveal the plot and characters as it was originally viewed.

See also  NZoth And Ragnaros Are Back From The Dead In Massive Upcoming Hearthstone Changes

Next: Every Kang Variant Who Can Appear In The MCU (& When)


  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)Release date: Dec 17, 2021

John Orquiola is a Features staff writer who has been with Screen Rant for four years. He began as a director’s assistant on various independent films. As a lover of film and film theory, John wrote humorous movie reviews on his blog, Back of the Head, which got him noticed by Screen Rant. John happily became the Star Trek guy at Screen Rant and he leads Feature coverage of the various Star Trek series, but he also writes about a wide range of subjects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Cobra Kai. His other great nerdy love is British TV series like The Crown, Downton Abbey, and Killing Eve. John can be found on Twitter @BackoftheHead if you want to see photos of the food he eats.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/marvel-movies-rewatch-order/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *